Chapter 3

For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then I heard Henry say, "We'll do it together."

At that very moment, the last hint of hesitation in my heart disappeared without a trace. I bent down and picked up the offer letter from the floor. A glass shard cut my fingertip, and beads of blood slowly seeped out, yet I couldn't feel any pain.

I simply smoothed out the letter, walked over to the table, picked up the pen, and signed it right in front of them. Honestly, I was surprisingly calm while doing it.

However, Henry's expression changed drastically.

"Natasha!"

I looked at him. "From this point onward, I'm not waiting for you anymore."

Henry didn't move. It looked like he had more to say. Meanwhile, Ruby snatched my phone before I knew what was happening. By the time I realized what she'd done, she'd already seen the email draft on my screen.

Her eyes flickered, and she showed my phone to Henry. "See this for yourself."

It was a scheduled email. I had written it earlier. I had originally planned to send it after the awards ceremony.

I didn't make any accusations in the email. I didn't try to cling to Henry either. I had simply stated that I would withdraw from the joint research project, give up any further publicity and credit tied to it, and cooperate with the completion of the entire handover.

I only wanted to leave quietly—to preserve what was left of my pitiful dignity.

Yet when Ruby read it, she acted as if she'd found something to use against me. She deliberately asked, "Why did you have to choose to do it tomorrow? Henry's receiving an award at the ceremony. Are you trying to ruin him?"

I simply looked at her without saying anything.

Before long, Henry finished reading the email as well. He looked at me, his expression dark and scowling.

"Natasha! Why must you insist on turning this into a public spectacle?"

I'd never heard anything more absurd. So to him, even my attempt to step away from this sorry affair was just an attempt to cause a spectacle, huh?

"I haven't sent the email," I pointed out.

"But you've already written it!" He glared at me. "Don't you know how important tomorrow's event is?"

Once again, I lost all inclination to explain myself.

It wasn't like he didn't get why I wanted to leave. He simply cared more about the awards ceremony tomorrow, his reputation, and his future.

As for me, I was nothing more than an unexpected bump in the road, and he refused to let me ruin anything for him.

Henry turned my phone off and slipped it into his pocket.

"Until the ceremony ends, you're not going to do anything."

I watched him as he did all that. I couldn't find any words.

After five years together, all I got from him was suspicion and distrust instead of an explanation. He even felt the need to guard against me.

…

The next day, I showed up at the awards ceremony. My name was on the list, so I couldn't avoid it.

Besides, I had spent too many late nights working on this project as well. I could give up Henry, but I couldn't allow myself to be denied the credit for my efforts.

However, as soon as I entered the venue, I sensed that something was wrong. Several junior researchers from our team looked at me strangely, as though they wanted to say something but didn't dare to.

I borrowed a digital tablet from a staff member nearby and checked the institute's anonymous forum. The title of the top post on the homepage stabbed me in the eyes.

"A Certain Female Researcher Harasses Male Teammate for Years; Uses Project Results to Force Him to Make Their Relationship Public During the Awards Ceremony."

The post didn't include a name, but every detail pointed to me. It mentioned the joint project, the awards ceremony, the email, and the secret relationship. Attached at the bottom was a screenshot of my unsent email.

My entire body turned cold.

Henry had held onto my phone the entire night. No one else, except for him, could've taken a screenshot of that email.

I lifted my head and glanced at the nearby entrance. Henry and Ruby had just entered together. She was wearing a formal gown, her hair and makeup immaculate as always. She stood beside him with such ease that it looked as though that had always been her rightful place.

The people nearby greeted them with knowing smiles, as if their relationship were a foregone conclusion.

I walked up to Henry and asked him outright, "Did you make that post?"

He had clearly seen it as well, and his brows drew together. "It wasn't me."

"Then how did the screenshot get out?" I questioned.

Before I could get an answer, Ruby's eyes reddened.

"I'm sorry, Natasha. It was me." Her voice was soft and trembling. "I was so scared last night. When I saw your email, I was afraid something would happen to Henry today, so I sent the screenshot to an acquaintance and asked what I should do about the situation. I really didn't expect it to get out."

By the time she finished speaking, the people around us had already started looking over and started whispering among themselves.

"So it's all true, then."

"No wonder Henry never made their relationship public."

"She looks like such a decent young woman. Who knew she was actually like this behind closed doors?"

The comments stabbed me like knives, but I didn't look at any of those people. My eyes were fixed on Henry.

I was waiting for his response—for him to say something, even if it were just one measly sentence. I wanted him to tell them that I wasn't pestering him or forcing him into anything. I wasn't the third party in his relationship with Ruby.

However, all he did was frown and say quietly, "Don't upset Ruby right now. We'll deal with this after the awards ceremony."

There it was again. I was constantly told to wait until things were over, until things were settled, and until a better time came along.

For the last five years, those were the words that had kept me imprisoned until this very moment.

The host began reading out the list of award recipients. When it was time for our project, the applause was thunderous.

"The Annual Achievement Award goes to Henry Upton, Ruby McCain, and Natasha Jameson!"

My name was on the list, but when I tried to step onto the stage, the person guiding the recipients stopped me, his expression slightly awkward.

"Please wait on the side first, Ms. Jameson. There have been some adjustments to the media segment."